The Eelam war might have ended on the northern beaches of Sri Lanka but across the Palk Strait, the island’s Tamil conflict continues to gather heat across Tamil Nadu amid scores of concerned politicians, human rights activists and youth. Not a day passes without at least one demonstration in some part of the state and the protesters demanding war crimes trial against the rulers in Colombo and speedy resettlement for war survivors.
The BJP is a recent player in the Eelam theatre. Keen on grabbing a bit of the Dravidian political space, the saffron party has been carrying out campaigns in support of the Lankan Tamils. And on Sunday, the lotus flags descended on Rameswaram with a large contingent led by national general secretary Muralidhara Rao and Pon Radhakrishnan threatening to cross over to the disputed Katchatheevu island to press for the fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait. With no local fishermen willing to lend their boats, the BJP protesters gave up their programme after some slogan-shouting.
The pro-LTTE Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Pattali Makkal Katchi held a joint conference in Chennai on Sunday, where the VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan said he was “willing to resign the seat in Lok Sabha even today” for the sake of Eelam Tamils. PMK leader Dr S. Ramadoss said his party would join hands with the VCK to push the Eelam Tamil cause. Elsewhere in the city, the MGR fans held a rally and declared that only the creation of separate Eelam nation would deliver salvation for the island’s suffering Tamils.